Chapter Text
“You are the smell before rain, you are the blood in my veins.”
Yeah, pretty much.
Armin Arlert had never been one to lose his focus in class. He had always been the perfect student: diligent, punctual, and rule-abiding. That is, until he saw Eren Jaeger for the first time. Armin had had it bad for that boy since the first day of his freshman year at Rose High. On that fateful day, the brunet oh-so-smugly walked into their third period late.
From the second he walked in, he gave off this smug and confident aura, something the shy blond only wished he could achieve. Maybe it was that aura or maybe it was those beautiful blue-green eyes, but ever since he sauntered into that class, Armin has been completely and utterly smitten with that boy.
Now in his senior year of high school at Rose, Armin smiled fondly at that frequently-visited memory as he made his way to school. Up until now, he had managed to be in at least one class with the beautiful brunet each year. This year, he was not so lucky (or maybe he was lucky for not having a class with his this year, because the grades for the classes he had with Eren has always seemed to be lower than the others).
Upon arrival at the school, he was greeted by a few of his friends, Marco, Krista, and Petra.
Marco was the first to notice him approaching, and waved. “Hey Armin!” To Armin, Marco had always been his closest friend. Since the first time they had met in sophomore year, they had just clicked, as people every so often do.
"Hey guys, good morning," Armin said with a yawn.
“Good morning, Armin!” Ever the morning person, Petra Ral cheerily greeted her dear friend. Petra was the school's sweetheart. Kind, gorgeous, and forgiving, it was nearly impossible for anyone to hate her. Armin and the strawberry blonde had always managed to understand each other perfectly, given their mutual tendency to err on the side of kindness and caution. The only thing that Armin didn't understand about her was her relationship with Auruo Bossard, a guy considered to be, quite frankly, a giant asshole.
“Ready to go inside? It's a little chilly out here,” Marco suggested with a shiver. After a round of “yes’s” and they all went into the warmth of the school building.
Forever stuck in the neverending routine of his classes, the first half of his day flew by without anything out of the ordinary.
Since the universe decided to deprive him of a solid hour of Eren-viewing opportunities, aka class, lunch was the only time Armin was able to see the bright-eyed brunet, and he for the most part considered it to be the highlight of his day. Eren and the rest of the baseball team always sat in the back corner of the cafeteria. Armin and his friends sat a few tables over. Marco and Krista always let him sit facing Eren; they knew just how much he looked forward to seeing him every day in the lunchroom. That day Eren was wearing a faded old band shirt and light wash jeans. He looked amazing in Armin’s opinion. Then again, to Armin, Eren looked good in everything.
He felt someone lightly poke his side, snapping him out of his daze. “Armin? Earth to Amin? Are you daydreaming about Eren again?” Petra teased.
He was. "I was not," Armin quickly replied, with a telltale blush.
Petra, always in touch with the others' feelings, gave him a knowing look. That knowing look was something of which, at this point, he was quite often at the receiving end.
With a sigh, Armin looked away.